Emergency measures for brood protection

**Sites involved in the action

The Moyenne vallée de la Charente and Moyenne vallée de l’Oise

**Description

Many singing Corncrakes were detected in plots not under agri-environmental measures or with an insufficient level of contract (no late mowing, lack of refuge cover ...). To ensure more effective protection of the species, one solution is to set emergency measures localized in a group of plots on which were detected singing Corncrakes. These emergency measures are defined for the current breeding season.
The objective is to provide financial compensation to farmers sufficient enough to get delayed mowing until 31/08. The monitoring of these plots will assess the effectiveness of this approach.

**Project coordination

LPO and CEN Picardie

**Expected results

This action should allow a delayed mowing on 40 ha of grassland until 31/08 during the first two years of the Life+ programme. The same area would be also managed this way in 2014 and 2015 but through other funding sources.
Given the Corncrake numbers in Picardy and the Moyenne vallée de la Charente, the action should protect about 10 individuals per year, by removing an average surface up to 1 ha per Corncrake.